The two biggest smartphone launches of 2012 will no doubt be the New iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S3. Both superphones are expected to roll out before the winter and take the current Android vs iPhone battle to the next level.
Samsung Galaxy S3 vs iPhone 5: wireless charging may lessen LTE and faster processor battery burden
While nothing official can be said about either one of these heavyweights, what can already be confirmed is that they will be LTE capable. Given that the New iPad 3 has adopted 4G LTE, it goes without saying that the iPhone 5 will as well. As for the Samsung Galaxy S3, the Galaxy brand is not new to LTE and will definitely adopt it in its US variants given that Verizon, Sprint and AT&T are all boasting the growing LTE networks.
However there is one major issue with 4G LTE that has plagued us ever since the first LTE phone, the HTC Thunderbolt, was released – battery life. Even to this date with the latest LTE phone, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, we hear of users complain about poor battery life given the power 4G LTE radios consume even with moderate use.
The New iPad 3 for one has tried to overcome this problem by fitting a battery that is 70 percent larger than its predecessors, the iPad 2. While it does seem to have done the job (AnandTech found the New iPad 3 lasts 23 hours as an LTE hotspot on a single charge), it has caused another problem indirectly – slow charging times. This is of course just the law of physics, that a battery which is 70 percent larger should take longer to charge up.
Unfortunately for users though, if Apple is employ a similar technique with its iPhone 5 to accommodate for LTE and the more powerful processor, many users will find their iPhone 5 hooked up to a wall charger for long periods at a time. That is unless another charging method is employed. Read on.
According to the latest reports, Samsung may be working on a new charging technique in-house which it plans to integrate into the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S3 – wireless charging. This will allow the Samsung Galaxy S3 to charge wirelessly the moment you are within 6 feet from the charging dock. So if you had it setup in rooms where you spent the most amount of time (living room, work desk, etc), it would begin charging your phone without you being aware nor hindering your usage.
A similar technology was unveiled by Fulton Innovation at CES 2012. Check out the video below to see how it works.
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